Samsung has just unveiled a new ultraportable computer that the manufacturer claims is 'lighter than air', a tongue-in-cheek reference to Apple's foray into this market.  The details were announced at IFA 2008 in Berlin.

The Samsung X360 will go on sale in October at between 1400 and 2000 euros, depending on the options included.

Intel is providing the processor (a Centrino 2), as well as the chipset and WiFi.  As for connecitivity, the new notebook features 3 USB ports, VGA and HDMI connectors as well as a built-in 7-in1 memory card reader.  It will also feature an integrated fingerprint reader.  From corner to corner, the backlit screen measures 13.3 inches.  The current version will not feature a backlit keyboard, although Samsung promise us that this will be rectified with the next version.

As for storage, users will have the choice between a regular 120 GB SATA hard drive, or an SSD with 64 or 128 GB.  Customers will also be able to choose between a black glossy case or one in brushed aluminum with red trim.

Some pictures from the launch:

Is it time to ditch TN panels?  Frankly, based on all of the forum posts and e-mails we've received on this topic, a lot of people think the answer to this question is that throwing in the trash would be more than they deserve.  Monitors built with TN panels, they argue, are hardly worth the pixels it takes to spell out their two letter name.

At this point, though, it might be worth explaining what all the fuss is about. 

LCD computer monitor and television screen manufacturers have a choice between three different types of panel, the board which holds the pixels that show an image:

• The most expensive of the three is losing popularity partly because of its high price but also because it often shows a very washed-out black.  Nevertheless, IPS panels can still be found in some screens made by Apple, which is almost the only company to remain faithful to this product

• The most highly sought after panels use xVA technology.  Referred to as PVA panels when made by Samsung and MVA by almost everybody else, these screens have a very deep black, with responsive pixels and good all-round viewing angles.  In general, these are reasonable panels and well thought-of.

• Most popular, however, are TN panels.  They are the cheapest, and found almost without exception in entry level monitors.  Some people, though, hate them, because they have a very poor viewing angle, with the image veering towards black whenever the screen is tilted too far.  So, whenever we give a TN screen a good review, a storm of protest erupts on our forums.

But are they really as bad as all that?  We beg to differ.  For one thing, a lot of them have great reactivity, which is perfect for video games.  And then there's their power consumption: TN screens are simply a lot more energy efficient than either of the other two technologies. 

Finally, while the vertical viewing angles can be disappointing, and often worse than indicated on the somewhat dubious technical specifications supplied by manufacturers, the horizontal viewing angle is often a lot wider, and sometimes better than that offered by VA panels.  Unless you stand on a chair to look down on your TV, most TN panels are actually more suited to showing movies than VA panels.  Viewers on either side will benefit from a much clearer image, with better contrast and sharper colors, especially given that TNs have excellent blacks.

PVA: Dell 2408WFP

TN: Samsung T240HD

As our regular forum posters point out, looking at TN screens from above below often leads to very noticeable differences in brightness.  Positioning oneself at one corner of a TN screen and looking diagonally across to the opposite corner, the far edges can seem disappointingly dark.  We always report this worrying trend when we come across it in our tests.

PVA: Dell 2408WFP

TN: Samsung T220HD

In Conclusion

We know that some people plump for VA technology because it avoids nasty surprises.  Nevertheless, there's no need to do away TN panels straight away.  They have their good sides, and even outperform some VAs.  As with everything else, it all depends on your priorities.  Which do you prefer, energy efficiency and a good side-to-side viewing angle, or a better vertical viewing angle?

Our friends over at Engadget recently reported ona new mobile phone manufactured by China King which the first to feature a built-in projector!



With this amazing product, users will be able to project a 30 inch image in VGA definition (640 x 480 pixels) for up to two hours using the built-in battery.  For the pleasure, however, your wallet will end up $550 lighter rather more quickly than that ...

The comments from the endgadget reviewers are pretty scathing: they reckon that the built-in projector will probably be used in pubs and bars to show clips of people’s ‘fascinating’ exploits, whether or not anybody actually cares.

Personally, I see their point, but am a little more optimistic.  Of course, this little box of tricks is very much a gadget, and so it brings us one step closer to the holy grail of uniting almost every device in one.  Now that MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS and telephony have all come together, we can now add digital video projection as well.

Following the lead set by Samsung and LG, it's now Philips' turn to launch a new TV that's capable of a contrast of 1000000:1.  Like its competitors, the 42PFL9803H uses diodes to illuminate the screen, which is divided into 128 different zones each of which can have its own light level.
 
In other regards, this model echoes the features and the design of another of the manufacturer's high-end TVs, the 42PFL9703H: Full HD, a 100 Hz refresh rate, Philips’favorite, the Ambilight Surround system, an integrated digital HD tuner and HDMN (High Definition Natural Motion) filters all come as standard.

As you can see from the publicity photograph, Philips are keen to highlight the EISA 2008-9 award that this product has won.  To keep this prize in context, many other outstanding TVs with excellent picture quality have not received the same level of recognition from EISA.  Nevertheless, this does mean we can put this particular model right at the top of our shopping list.  All we can do now is wait for a chance to test it out to see if it’s worthy of this position.

As yet, there's no news on a release date.

> Survey: TVs from 40 to 49 inches

Four 24 - 26 inch screens have joined our ongoing comparison, which now includes the test results for 23 different models.  The new arrivals are the Acer P243W, the Dell 2709W, the Iiyama ProLite E2607WS and the Samsung SyncMaster 240HD.  Included in this batch is a new gold standard, a five star screen, which shows us what most screens might well be like in the future.  And the nice surprise is that this excellent model is at a reasonable price too.

> Survey: 23 full HD LCD screens from 23 to 28 inches

The Iiyama Prolite E2207WSV, the Hyundai W220D and the Samsung Syncmaster T220HD: we trial three new 22 inch screens from three different manufacturers, which each have something different to offer.

The Iiyama is an attractively built monitor at a great price.  The Hyundai is a lot like the great 24 inch screens we’ve seen – 2 ms response rate, height adjustable and with HDMI and DVI as standard.  And the Samsung, the T240HD’s younger brother, is both a computer screen and a television.  It boasts several different video inputs, an MPEG video correction chip and an integrated digital tuner.

> Comparison: new 22 inch LCD screens from Iiyama, Hyundai and Samsung

Now that the team in charge of after sales service for ViewSonic are back from their summer holiday, we've managed to get an official response to the complaints we've been receiving from our readers.

While a certain amount of grumbling is to be expected, we had seen a worryingly high number of issues with ViewSonic products.  With the VX2240w monitor, for instance, which was initially buggy, ViewSonic at first denied all suggestions there was any problem.  Only several months after it had been made aware of the fault did the manufacturer begin an investigation, and it later accepted the return of some of the products concerned under guarantee.

When questioned recently, however, ViewSonic was keen to tell us that it had already identified the source of the problem.  A review has been underway since the middle of August and will be ready to report its conclusions soon.  After that, there will be a chance to look at recommendations for new solutions with a view to starting work in October.

We'd like to thank ViewSonic for being so open: manufacturers don't always release this kind of information.  Hats off to ViewSonic it is then!